Integrated dynamic fluidic lens system for in vivo biological imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Microfluidics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Current optical imaging systems often lack real-time focal length adjustability.
• Dynamic control over optical parameters is crucial for advanced in vivo diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an integrated dynamic lens system for in vivo optical imaging.
• To enable real-time manipulation of lens focal length and numerical aperture.

Main Methods:

• Development of bioinspired dynamic microfluidic lenses using a PDMS membrane-capped chamber.
• Integration of a piezoelectrically actuated micropump for high-speed lens tunability.
• Characterization of lens focal length, numerical aperture, and resolution.

Main Results:

• The 5mm dynamic lens demonstrated focal length tunability from 8.5mm to 23mm.
• Achieved numerical aperture values ranged from 0.39 to 0.77 with a resolution of 40 linepairs/mm.
• The integrated micropump operated at 5 kHz with a flow rate of approximately 2.4 mL/min.

Conclusions:

• The developed dynamic lens system offers real-time depth resolution and variable numerical aperture.
• This technology has potential applications in optical probe techniques for enhanced medical diagnosis.
• The system provides a novel solution for adaptive optical control in biological imaging.